First Person with Wayne Shepherd

To honor all military veterans, this FIRST PERSON episode tells the story of the late USAF Major General Carl Schneider. Thank you to all veterans who have served their country.   (click for more…)     Books:  Little House on the High Plains, Jet PioneerThis First Person Veterans Day episode is an archived interview, hosted by Wayne Shepherd, with retired Air Force Major General Carl Schneider, who died in 2023 at age 95. Schneider grew up on a Texas cotton farm and enlisted in 1946, first working as an armament mechanic on B-29s. He then entered Aviation Cadets pilot training, which was reopened after World War II. His career ran from propeller planes (T-6, P-51) through jet fighters, and he flew combat in both Korea and Vietnam. In Korea, 22 of the 32 pilots in his section were lost, and he kept a pact with his fellow pilots to visit their families afterward, some of whom he stayed in touch with for years. In 1962 he set up the Forward Air Controller program in Vietnam. He also trained Korean pilots who later became generals, which fueled his support for the Far East Broadcasting Company. He credits his Christian faith with guiding and protecting him, and he describes his wife of 44 years as a supportive military spouse. After she died, he remarried. He wrote two books, Little House on the High Plains and Jet Pioneer, and he donated the proceeds to veterans’ groups.                                                  NEXT WEEK:  Ray Rhodes Send your support for FIRST PERSON to the Far East Broadcasting Company:FEBC National Processing Center Far East Broadcasting CompanyP.O. Box 6020 Albert Lea, MN 56007Please mention FIRST PERSON when you give. Thank you!

An explanation of why the church celebrates Reformation Day as Dr. Gregg Quiggle joins Wayne Shepherd in conversation about the history of the Reformation.   (click for more…) Website:  www.moodypublishers.com/authors/q/gregg-quiggle/       Dr. Gregg Quiggle says the Reformation shaped culture as well as the church. It changed how people think about marriage and work, and it fed the push for public education so people could read the Bible in their own language. He notes it wasn’t the church’s first split. The East–West schism of 1054 came earlier. By the 1500s the Western church had become large, bloated and corrupt. Reformers argued that the corruption was a symptom of deeper doctrinal problems, which he frames as three questions:The church: Protestants held to the priesthood of all believers, where Rome saw the clergy as the church.Salvation: Protestants said faith in Christ alone saves, where Rome said salvation came through the institutional church.Authority: Protestants said Scripture alone, where Rome said the church’s teaching authority.He describes five Reformations: Luther in Germany, Calvin, Zwingli, the English Reformation under Henry VIII, and the radical Anabaptists. He stresses that the reformers wanted to call the church back to its roots, not start a new one. He also admits the irony that “Bible alone” has produced many denominations because people interpret it differently. The episode ends with a mention of his new book with Erwin Lutzer, Marx and Moody.                       NEXT WEEK:  The late Maj. General Carl Schneider (USAF)Send your support for FIRST PERSON to the Far East Broadcasting Company:FEBC National Processing Center Far East Broadcasting CompanyP.O. Box 6020 Albert Lea, MN 56007Please mention FIRST PERSON when you give. Thank you!

Alistair Begg of the radio program Truth for Life discusses the fruit of the Spirit and his latest book, titled We Will Be Changed with Wayne Shepherd.   (click for more…)    Website:  www.TruthforLife.orgBook: https://www.truthforlife.org/store/products/books-alistair-begg/we-will-be-changed/Host Wayne Shepherd talks with Alistair Begg about his new book, We Will Be Changed, on the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23). Begg is more than a year out of the pulpit at Parkside Church after 42 years. He now focuses on his radio program Truth For Life, writing and speaking, and says he misses the congregation but enjoys freedom from weekly sermon preparation and more time with family. He stresses that Scripture says “the fruit” (singular) of the Spirit, like the segments of an orange. It is one package pointing to Christ, so no one can pick the traits they like and skip the rest. Believers are called to cooperate with the Spirit, whom he calls the often-neglected member of the Trinity, in becoming more like Jesus. Begg then discusses love as the root trait, joy as a deep reservoir that survives suffering, peace with God, and patience, with brief nods to kindness, goodness, faithfulness and gentleness. He closes by encouraging listeners to ask God to conform them to Christ, and to be honest with others that “God is not finished with me yet.”                     Next Week:  Gregg Quiggle discusses the ReformationSend your support for FIRST PERSON to the Far East Broadcasting Company:FEBC National Processing Center Far East Broadcasting CompanyP.O. Box 6020 Albert Lea, MN 56007Please mention FIRST PERSON when you give. Thank you!

Zach Heinold is a now a dedicated Christian husband and father, co-owner of a residential construction business. But he tells Wayne Shepherd of almost ruining his life until he met Christ.  (click for more...)  Zach's Business Website: https://heinoldhomes.comRaised in church with a Sunday-morning requirement, Zach describes drifting in his teenage years into a popularity-driven crowd and a hidden double life — playing sports and getting decent grades on the surface while struggling with drugs and alcohol, even attending church while high. He talks about constant remorse, fear of being found out by his family and future wife, and escalating legal trouble — seven arrests/tickets in 2007 alone.The conversation highlights his father's non-judgmental, faith-centered support, his wife's similar background of growing up in church and returning to faith, and his rock-bottom moment on the night of August 1-2, 2008. After college loans for SIU-Carbondale were denied and he planned to sell drugs instead, he says God gave him a clear choice that night — die or get help — leading him to wake his father at 1 a.m. and enter rehab, where his journey toward restoration began.                                              NEXT WEEK:  Alistair BeggSend your support for FIRST PERSON to the Far East Broadcasting Company:FEBC National Processing Center Far East Broadcasting CompanyP.O. Box 6020 Albert Lea, MN 56007Please mention FIRST PERSON when you give. Thank you!

After experiencing a construction accident, Brad Willey began thinking deeply about his life when an unexpected stranger showed up to point him to Christ. He tells his story to Wayne Shepherd.   (click for more…) Website:  https://missioneurasia.caBrad Willey, now executive director of Mission Eurasia Canada, talks about how he came to faith. Willey grew up in a rough, isolated mountain town in western Canada where fighting, drinking, and gang influence were part of daily life. Around 2001–2002, he was operating heavy equipment when a landslide pushed his machine 30 feet underwater. He cried out to God, escaped through the roof hatch, and survived. He attended church for six months afterward but felt spiritually lost and drifted back into old habits. Years later, on a December morning, he prayed for someone to explain God's message to him. That afternoon, at a Calgary truck stop, a stranger with a Polish accent told him about Jesus, and Willey committed his life to Christ. He then grew in faith through Christian radio and a men's discipleship group, and was baptized in 2008. After a 2019 mission trip to Chile, he moved into full-time ministry, which led to his current work supporting field teams in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia.Next Week:  Zach HeinoldSend your support for FIRST PERSON to the Far East Broadcasting Company:FEBC National Processing Center Far East Broadcasting CompanyP.O. Box 6020 Albert Lea, MN 56007Please mention FIRST PERSON when you give. Thank you!

Once a convicted felon, Jermaine Wilson became a Christ-follower through a Prison Fellowship program and now discusses his changed life with Wayne Shepherd.  (click for more…)         Website:  www.prisonfellowship.org/story/the-spiritual-awakening-of-jermaine-wilson/Jermaine Wilson, now mission ambassador for Prison Fellowship, describes growing up in government housing with a teenage mother and a father who struggled with addiction. He began using drugs at 11 and committed his first crime at 12, seeking the acceptance he lacked at home. He spent four years in juvenile corrections, where he joined a gang, and after release he returned to drugs and crime. That led to a three-year adult prison sentence for narcotics possession, served when his son was eight months old. During that sentence, facing the prospect of his son repeating his path and with family visits suddenly stopping, he joined Prison Fellowship's program, surrendered his life to Jesus, and saw his family restored. After release, the church and Prison Fellowship volunteers gave him and his family food, housing, and jobs. He had his record expunged and later served as mayor of Leavenworth, Kansas. He now shares his story with inmates and lawmakers and urges listeners to volunteer with Prison Fellowship, especially its Angel Tree program, and to extend grace to people who have been incarcerated.                                                             NEXT WEEK:  Brad WilleySend your support for FIRST PERSON to the Far East Broadcasting Company:FEBC National Processing Center Far East Broadcasting CompanyP.O. Box 6020 Albert Lea, MN 56007Please mention FIRST PERSON when you give. Thank you!

Edward Bouvier who uses woodworking as a spiritual mission, joins Wayne Shepherd in conversation to talk about his joy of working with his hands and teaching others his craft.  (click for more…)                              Website: www.villagewoodwright.com    Edward Bouvier, "The Village Woodwright," started in furniture restoration and moved into teaching after a health crisis in his 30s showed him he wanted his craft to reach people. He now runs classes, mostly for homeschool groups and private schools, in which every tool is hand-powered and students start by splitting a fresh log. They work without rulers or patterns, using classical proportions instead. Bouvier ties his work to his faith, especially the idea of redemption: rescuing discarded wood and furniture, and helping students salvage flawed pieces or burn the rest in the class campfire. He also mentions a former apprentice who is now a blacksmith at Kline Creek Farm, and his lifelong love of the pipe organ, which he is returning to after advice from Wheaton's Harold Best to use music for worship rather than performance. He describes his path as a calling that has taken detours, and says that although mission work rarely pays well, God has always provided and interest in his classes is now growing.Previous interview with Edward Bouvier: https://www.buzzsprout.com/121603/episodes/1015078-edward-bouvier                                           Next Week:  Jermaine WilsonSend your support for FIRST PERSON to the Far East Broadcasting Company:FEBC National Processing Center Far East Broadcasting CompanyP.O. Box 6020 Albert Lea, MN 56007Please mention FIRST PERSON when you give. Thank you!

Executive leadership coach and author Fred Gladney is Wayne Shepherd’s guest to tell his personal story of faith and the biblical principles for business he’s learned.  (click for more…)  Website:  TheDNAofSuccess.com , https://thegladneygroup.com/Fred Gladney is an executive leadership coach, entrepreneur, and author of The DNA of Success. Gladney describes growing up in a "cultural Christian" household in Pittsburgh, coming to genuine faith in his late twenties after being prayed for at a dinner in California, and being discipled by mentors including Dr. E.V. Hill and Frank Wilson. He reflects on integrating faith with a long corporate career (including leaving a company over ethical issues), and shares his coaching philosophy — that real success requires surrender, that leaders should focus on personal growth and self-awareness rather than assessments and quadrants, and that significance comes from mentoring others and leaving a lasting legacy. The conversation closes with his emphasis on Scripture memorization and mentorship, especially in an age of AI, and a mention of his book and his longtime board service with the Far East Broadcasting Company.                                            NEXT WEEK:  Edward BouvierSend your support for FIRST PERSON to the Far East Broadcasting Company:FEBC National Processing Center Far East Broadcasting CompanyP.O. Box 6020 Albert Lea, MN 56007Please mention FIRST PERSON when you give. Thank you!

Cheryl Steele Tinsley, the lone survivor of a wilderness surveying trip gone awry, talks with Wayne Shepherd about her experience.  (click for more) On July 3, 1980, Cheryl Steele Tinsley and three of her friends were caught in a deadly “freak storm” on Michigan's Lake Huron that meteorologists say only appear once every ten to twelve years.  Her three companions died, but Cheryl miraculously lived.As you listen, Cheryl will recount the story and speak to what she learned about how God speaks to us when we encounter the reality of death.Cheryl can be reached through her webssite, cherylsteeletinsley.com.Cheryl has also written a book detailing the experience titled Wave by Wave, A Memoir of Survival, Faith, and How God Works which can be found here.                                                 NEXT WEEK:  Fred GladneySend your support for FIRST PERSON to the Far East Broadcasting Company:FEBC National Processing Center Far East Broadcasting CompanyP.O. Box 6020 Albert Lea, MN 56007Please mention FIRST PERSON when you give. Thank you!

Country preacher Jeremy Farley, author of Hay Bales and Holy Rollers, joins Wayne Shepherd in conversation about his life and testimony.  (click for more...)   Website:  www.JeremyFarley.com Jeremy Farley, a pastor from Wytheville, Virginia, and author of the memoir Hay Balers and Holy Rollers. Farley was born to a teenage mother in 1985 after she rejected pressure to have an abortion, and he grew up on his great-grandfather's Virginia farm after being raised partly in West Virginia coal country. His great-grandfather, "the Old Man" (Tom Farley), was a hard, self-made, "black-and-white" man who taught him toughness but dismissed church as being "for weak men." Jeremy had a false conversion as a teen under social pressure at a legalistic Christian school, then genuinely surrendered to Christ in college on October 15, 2004. He describes founding Restoration Church of Wytheville in 2019, which weathered pandemic setbacks (meeting in a cow pasture) before growing into a two-service congregation. The interview's emotional centerpiece is his 2014 hospital-bedside conversation with his dying great-grandfather, where he shared the "Romans Road" gospel passages and learned the old man's own mother had shared the same verses with him as a child before she died — leading the great-grandfather to profess faith in Christ shortly before his death.                                             NEXT WEEK:  Cheryl TinsleySend your support for FIRST PERSON to the Far East Broadcasting Company:FEBC National Processing Center Far East Broadcasting CompanyP.O. Box 6020 Albert Lea, MN 56007Please mention FIRST PERSON when you give. Thank you!